Bookcase

ABSTRACT

A combination shipping container and bookcase for technical manuals. The bookcase is mounted on casters and has manual receiving pockets which open to opposite sides of the structure. A disposable shroud surrounds the bookcase to protect the structure and retain the manuals in place during shipping.

0 United States Patent 1 1 3,583,783

[72] Inventors Ross W. Murphy [56] ReferencesCited M UNITED STATES PATENTS 640315 1/1900 Parmlee 211 42x f 22 I969 1,443,207 1/1923 Blount 312/126UX [22] ed 1 2,126,461 8/1938 Graham... 206/44.11 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 [73] Assi nee lnternationalBussiness Machines 2848292 8/l958 Lewis 312/50x g C0 r860 3,351,182 11/1967 Greer et al... 206/44 A NY 3,396,840 8/1968 Farren 312/20x 3,407,938 10/1968 Walteretal. 312/20x Primary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam BOOKCASE Att0rneysHanifin and Jancin and Carl W. Laumann, Jr.

1 Claim, 4 Dratving Figs. [52] US. Cl 312/237,

312/20, 312/126, 312/290, 206/44 ABSTRACT: A combination shipping container and bookcase [51] lnt.Cl A47b 81/00, for technical manuals. The bookcase is mounted on casters A'47f 3/14, A47b 83/00 and has manual receiving pockets which open to opposite [50] Field of Search 312/237, sides of the structure. A disposable shroud surrounds the 282, 290, 20, 184, 233; 206/44, 45; 248/174; bookcase to protect the structure and retain the manuals in 21 l/42 place during shipping.

INVENTO? W. MURPHY ATTORNEY ROSS GORDON E. WILLE aw PATENTEU Jun 8 I97! SHEET 2 0F 2 BOOKCASE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The complexity of electronic equipment, particularly computers and related equipment, demands that service aids, such as technical manuals, be readily available when maintenance is required. Because of the nature of the material which the manuals contain, circuit drawings, wiring diagrams, etc., they are usually looseleaf bound and rather large in width and height. Since electronic equipment may contain changes from unit to unit, the manuals are usually personalized to the particular system. In some cases, the manuals follow the equipment right down the assembly line.

When the equipment is shipped from the assembly point to a customer, the ideal situation would be to ship the manuals at the same time as a part of the same shipment. This would ensure against the manuals arriving late or becoming separated from the equipment.

Since the manuals are essential to the installation of complex equipment, it is necessary to have them immediately and conveniently available during setup and testing of the equipment.

Existing procedures provide for separate devices for transport of the manuals during the assembly process shipping and use at the final installation. These devices are expensive and require frequent packing and unpacking. They do not lend themselves to more than one use. For example, the shipping container is not acceptable for use at the final installation. Similarly, the bookcase or rack used as a final storage device does not provide adequate protection for the manuals during shipping. The shipping containers are generally not compati ble with boxes used to house the equipment, resulting in handling problems for the shipper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The preferred embodiment of the invention is a combination bookcase and shipping container having pockets for the retention of books. Adjacent pockets are accessible from op posite sides of the structure. The pockets are formed by a Z- shaped divider that extends from one end to the other. The divider provides the necessary structural rigidity without the need for additional bracing. The structure is fabricated from plastic materials and mounted on casters. A shroud of corrugated fiberboard is slipped over the structure for protection and retention of the books during shipping.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved receptacle for books.

It is another object of this invention to provide a combination shipping container and bookcase for technical manuals.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a low cost combination shipping container and bookcase which lends itself to fabrication from plastic materials.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention having two bookcases with the protective shroud in place. Parts have been cut away and certain portions shown in enlarged views la and 1b to better illustrate the details of construction.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention having a single bookcase.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The bookcase assembly shown in FIG. 1 includes two separate structures designed to hold and transport manuals such as are utilized in the maintenance and repair of electronic equipment. Each of the bookcases has a pair of end members 1 and 2, a top member 3, and a bottom member 4.

The sides are open to accommodate the insertion and withdrawal of the manuals 5. A separator I0 having a generally Z-shaped configuration extends from one end to the other in serpentine fashion. The top and bottom members are affixed to the separator to give the entire assembly structural rigidity. In addition, the separator provides a number of pockets 12 which are open to receive the manuals. Adjacent pockets open to opposite sides of the bookcase.

The configuration of bottom member 4 is such that it accommodates the raised center portion 13 of the top member 3. This allows units to be stacked one on top of the other in situations where a single unit is insufficient to store the number of books required.

A tray 14 having an interior bottom surface which is com plemcntary to the top of the bookcases may be mounted on the uppermost bookcase to provide a receptacle for punched card decks such as would be utilized to run test programs on a piece of electronic equipment. Casters l5 affixed to a floor member 16 (FIG. la) allow the structure to be rolled from one portion of a room to another. Floor member 16 can be fabricated from wood. The floor member 16 has the same general configuration as the top of the bookcase so that it fits snugly into bottom member 4 of the bookcase.

A shroud 20 of corrugated fiberboard, a cardboard like material has an interior shape and dimensions such that it may be slipped over the entire bookcase assembly. The shroud serves to hold the manuals 5 in place within pockets l2 and protect the entire unit against damage during shipment. When the bookcase is received at the destination, the shroud is easily removed and the entire unit is ready for use. No further unpacking is required.

The exploded view of the general assembly shown in FIG. 2 illustrates the manner in which the device is fabricated. The floor member I6, having four casters 15 attached by conventional means, is positioned beneath the bottom member 4. The bottom member 4 has a lip 17 and shoulder 18 as shown in FIG. la. The lip and shoulder provide a rectangular aperture which exactly accommodates floor 16. With the bottom member 4 in place on the floor 16, the separator 10 is posi tioned above the bottom member so that its lower portion is in exact alignment with the complementary grooves 19 in the bottom member. A suitable plastic solvent or adhesive is applied to the grooves and the separator. The separator is then pushed downward until it fits snugly within the grooves. Temporary clamping may be necessary to hold the assembly in alignment during this operation.

In the same manner, the unitary assembly 21 of the top 3 and two ends 2 is affixed to the previously generated subassembly of bottom member 4 and separator 10. Here too, a set of complementary grooves in the top accommodates the upper portion of separator 10. For ease in assembly, it may be desirable to invert the entire structure for this step so that the glue, cement or solvent applied to the grooves will not run. The same glue or solvent may be used to affix the lower portion of the end members I and 2 to the base.

This completes the entire rigid assembly. In the case where a single unit is to be utilized, it may be desirable to permanently affix tray 14 to the top of the unit. This can be done with the same solvent or cement utilized in the assembly of the structure. However, additional flexibility will be retained if the tray merely rests on the upper portion of the bookcase. The lower portion of tray 14 has a configuration closely resembling that of bottom member 4 in that a shoulder 22 and lip 23 are provided for retention of the tray on the top of the assembly.

Returning now to FIG. I, and in particular FIG. lb, the details of the insertion of separator 10 into grooves 19 in the bottom member 4 are shown. The bottom member has a number of ridges below the grooves so as to maintain a constant wall thickness and avoid structural weakness at the point of insertion of the separator 10. The width or height of the ridges corresponds to the height of the shoulder 18 at the periphery of the base 4 so that the entire structure is maintained in rigid form against the floor 16. No flexing of the bottom member is possible since the outer portion of the wall which forms the grooves bears against the floor.

FIG. la is an enlarged view of the periphery and bottom member 4 showing shoulder 18 and lip portion 17. The floor to abuts against both shoulder 18 and lip 17 so that no movement of the floor 16 relative to the bottom member 4 is possible. While the weight of the entire assembly is normally sufficient to keep the floor in place against the bottom member, in those cases where thresholds are to be traversed, it may be desirable to affix floor 16 to bottom member 4. This can be done with a suitable plastic cement or glue,

The separator is shown in a form which provides a tapered pocket 12. The sides 24 and 25 of the pocket lie in a plane generally parallel to the ends 1 and 2 of the bookcase. However, it will be observed that the end 26 of the pocket is of slightly narrower width than the entrance to the pocket. In the case of looseleaf-type manuals, this is a desirable condition since the back of the manual is generally wider than the open end. In this fashion, the tapered pockets serve to better retain the manual in place during shipping or rolling. The depth of the pocket from the edge of the bookcase to the end of the pocket corresponds generally to the depth of the manual to be stored. This dimension is selected for the purpose of retaining the manuals in place during shipment. The corrugated fiberboard shroud bears against the back of the manuals, firmly pressing it into the pocket so that no movement is allowed.

The materials used for end members 1 and 2, top member 3, bottom member 4 and tray 14 can be acrylonvinyl, vinyl or acrylonitri[ebutadiene-styrene (ABS) a plastic material available from B. F. Goodrich Company, Rohm and Haas and Boltaron Corporation. Suitable cements for this material are M. E. K., (methyl-ethyl ketone); acetone, (di-methyl ketone). Another suitable cement is VC-l, tetra hydra furane available from Schwartz Chemical Company, Long Island City, New

York.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein.

We claim:

1. A combined shipping container and bookcase comprismg:

an open sided rectangular container having a top, base and two ends,

a vertical separator formed of a single piece of material and affixed to said bottom and ends,

said separator having a plurality of pocket side portions and pocket end portions defining a plurality of vertical pockets, accessible through the open sides, said pocket side portions extending generally parallel to said ends, said pocket end portions being generally parallel to said open sides and connecting alternate adjacent ends of said pocket side members,

adjacent ones of said pockets having open ends facing opposite of said open sides,

a five-sided rectangular shroud having an open end and internal dimensions which allow it to be placed over said structure, said shroud being fabricated of a material having characteristics similar to corrugated fiberboard or cardboard,

a plurality of caster type wheels affixed to said base,

said top having a raised central portion extending upwardly from the remainder of said top providing a retention means for a tray having a complementary aperture in the bottom side, and,

the width of said container being greater than the depth of the books to be received, said pockets having depth substantially equal to the depth of the books to be received. 

1. A combined shipping container and bookcase comprising: an open sided rectangular container having a top, base and two ends, a vertical separator formed of a single piece of material and affixed to said bottom and ends, said separator having a plurality of pocket side portions and pocket end portions defining a plurality of vertical pockets, accessible through the open sides, said pocket side portions extending generally parallel to said ends, said pocket end portions being generally parallel to said open sides and connecting alternate adjacent ends of said pocket side members, adjacent ones of said pockets having open ends facing oppositE of said open sides, a five-sided rectangular shroud having an open end and internal dimensions which allow it to be placed over said structure, said shroud being fabricated of a material having characteristics similar to corrugated fiberboard or cardboard, a plurality of caster type wheels affixed to said base, said top having a raised central portion extending upwardly from the remainder of said top providing a retention means for a tray having a complementary aperture in the bottom side, and, the width of said container being greater than the depth of the books to be received, said pockets having depth substantially equal to the depth of the books to be received. 